New Custom Cottage.

Dreaming of a new custom cottage?

You’ve found the perfect waterfront property and want to complete the picture with a beautiful cottage designed to suit your family’s lifestyle perfectly, but there are so many details to address and you’re not too sure where to start. It’s a challenge to find the best professionals to help you through the process. Choose a firm with the extensive experience to guide you through your journey. It can be exciting and enjoyable when an experienced professional is taking care of everything for you.

Great design is the best foundation

You may already have a great builder or general contractor in mind but you need an experienced architectural designer to design a cottage that is just right for you. Jim and his team can guide you through the architectural design process, from initial concept through to the completion of a full set of drawings, ready for construction. If you don’t have the time to supervise the builder or general contractor, we can provide optional contract administration services to monitor the build progress for you.

Don’t take the risk

You could contract for a basic drawing package from a low-cost drafting service, but they will just redraw from the concepts you provide and follow your instructions. You will save a little money on basic drawings, but you will not receive professional design advice and construction expertise or go through a programming process to determine exactly what you need. You will be on your way to building a cottage that may be very different from what you imagined and really want and need. Why take such an enormous risk with a project as important and costly as building your dream cottage?

You don’t have to navigate this complex process alone.

With over 30 years of experience in architectural design and extensive knowledge of construction, Jim Bell will demystify the complexities and manage the entire process of designing and building your custom home. You have many good ideas, and you may know exactly what you want, but it’s often challenging to communicate your thoughts and know what steps to take next. Jim and his team can help.

Jim Bell Architectural Design is different.

A deep family heritage in residential design and building informs Jim’s designs. He loves to design gorgeous cottages for his clients to enjoy with family and friends. Jim’s custom cottage designs aren’t only beautiful and functional but also efficient and cost-effective to construct. What may seem like one small design change to a less-experienced designer may have a significant effect on build costs and Jim has the expertise to know the impact of those small details. He will share this wisdom with you throughout the design process and will find creative solutions to give you the look, feel and function you want, with the affordable build price tag you need.

Listening to you.

Time and time again clients say that Jim is a great listener who took the time to really understand their vision. He doesn’t have a selection of floorplans on the shelf to pull out to try to fit the next client. You have spent hours pouring over websites and magazines and watching design shows to visualize your project and you want it to be unique. Jim starts with a blank page, a true understanding of what you need and want, over 30 years of experience and exceptional creativity to design a unique custom cottage just FOR YOU.

Meet with Jim to share your vision for your dream cottage. A consultation is complimentary and without obligation. So you have nothing to lose and everything to gain from his 30+ years of experience.

From Our Clients

Julie

“Jim helped us take our home design from ordinary to extraordinary! His attention to detail, strength at managing space and proportions and knowledge of the needs of a house from the inside out, made our house the dream space we were hoping for. We won't hesitate to contact Jim in the future, when the need arises.”

Rosanna & Jamie

“Innovative design that truly transformed the look and utility of our cottage. Design complemented the landscape with end result looking as if the cottage was an original build. Attention to details both inside and out gave the cottage a modern flare while retaining the history, through the use of board and battens and roof line details.”

From our anonymous client survey

"We love the house that Jim designed. It is what we were looking for."

"The final product was exactly what we wanted... and more."

"He understands his clients wants and needs and has phenomenal designs to match."